They work tirelessly all day under the harsh rays of a blazing sun, the stench of death and destruction around them. They are a team of Jewish heroes who are working around the clock with one mission: the recovery of human bodies.

The SA Friends of the Beit Halochem Zahal Disabled Veterans Organisation was established in Johannesburg in 1982, its primary goal being to help and support Zahal disabled veterans by raising funds to help them return and resume their normal lives as soon as possible.

There’s a popular weekly satirical show in Israel called Eretz Nehederet. In a recent episode, an actor playing Benny Gantz, the former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and newcomer to Israeli politics, is asked how he’s feeling.

Devotion to the cause of the State of Israel flourishes in the most unlikely places, even in societies where the Jewish presence is small to non-existent. Such is the case in Mozambique, where the work of Beth-El Associacao Crista Amigos De Israel - Mozambican Christian Friends of Israel - testifies to how much can be achieved by those inspired by their Christian faith to promote the Israeli cause, despite adverse conditions.

JNF’s unique “Blue Boy Box” now lives at King David Linksfield Pre-Primary so that children of each generation learn the importance of tzedakah (charity or welfare). It is the responsibility of Jews all over the world to build Israel, develop it and nurture it as the home of the Jewish nation

“Knowledge is Light” was our school motto when I was a child in Durban. The importance of education was made clear to us from as far back as I can remember. It wasn’t taken for granted. A good education was a privilege.

(JTA) Norwegian rapper not charged with hate speech
A Norwegian rapper who cursed Jews while performing at an event in Oslo promoting multiculturalism will not be charged with hate speech, because his words may have been criticism of Israel, prosecutors said.

Did Israeli soldiers violate international law by deliberately targeting unarmed children, journalists, health workers, and people with disabilities during the past year of violence along the Israel-Gaza border?

(JTA) After the New England Patriots beat the favoured Kansas City Chiefs to reach their third straight Super Bowl – their amazing ninth in less than 20 years – CBS sports analyst Boomer Esiason made an intriguing statement, namely that Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

We are winging our way towards Human Rights Day (21 March), the first public holiday of the year, which coincides with Purim. I can’t help but wonder about our concept of human rights and what it means, not least of all, to our government.

President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed in parliament last week that South Africa intended to downgrade its diplomatic presence in Israel. The foreign affairs bureaucracy was working “feverishly” on the matter. “The decision to downgrade the embassy in Israel is informed precisely by the violation of the rights of Palestinians and we are therefore putting pressure on Israel. But at the same time, we are saying we are willing to play a role and ensure there is peace,” said Ramaphosa.

Undeterred, and in spite of the hate-filled disparagement that spewed forth when Shashi Naidoo uttered positive comments about Israel and Jews last year, Haafizah Bhamjee penned a reasoned and sensible article on Israel and the Palestinians in the SA Jewish Report of 22 February.

With Prince William’s historic visit to Israel this week, all eyes have been trained on the Jewish capital. It may have taken 70 years, but the first official visit by a member of the British Royal family began in Israel on Monday, when William, the Duke of Cambridge, arrived in Tel Aviv.

Some 5 600 emissaries (shluchim) from Chabad-Lubavitch from all over the world gathered at the Pier 8 warehouse in Brooklyn, New York this week for the opening of their four-day annual international conference and banquet, 75 years after the arrival of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson, from Europe.

One of the questions that haunts the story of Purim and moves silently through the lines of the Megillah is clear and chillingly simple: How could Jews have chosen to remain in Persian Shushan? It was so clearly an environment in which anti-Semitism was so prevalent that a genocide could be planned and almost implemented without comment by broader society.

“The greatness of our nation is that our people are great. We are a nation of heroes, of people with good and decent moral fibre who will not tolerate our country being plundered!” So said Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein in Pretoria this morning.“This is a struggle for accountability and justice,” Goldstein told the crowd (which included prominent Jewish CEOs like Adrian Gore, Stephen Koseff and Michael Katz). “This struggle is about sovereignty. The power of the people always triumphs in the end.”

World Middle East

What do the sanctions against Iran mean for Israel?

On Monday, a second phase of American sanctions went into effect targeting critical sectors of Iran’s economy, including its oil exports, shipping sector, and financial institutions.

by
PAULA SLIER | Nov 08, 2018

After being lifted in July 2015 with the signing of the P5 + 1 nuclear deal under former American President Barack Obama, sanctions have now been reinstated almost five months after current American President Donald Trump withdrew from what he has repeatedly called “the worst deal ever”.

Jerusalem has been one of the most vocal supporters of Trump’s actions, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared the reimposed sanctions “an important moment for Israel”.

Tehran must meet 12 demands to get sanctions lifted, including ending its “support for terrorism and military engagement in Syria” and “halting its nuclear and ballistic-missile development”.

Jerusalem is hugely concerned about Iranian expansion and influence, particularly in southern Syria, where the country supports all the organisations on Israel’s northern border, including those of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad.

Iran’s emboldenment of groups like Hamas and Hezbollah mean that there is widespread speculation nowadays that war between Israel and Hezbollah is on the cards. Two months after the nuclear deal was originally signed, the leader of the Islamic Republic declared that in 25 years, the Jewish state would no longer exist. Israeli leaders have taken threats like that seriously.

Dr Soli Shahvar, the Founding Director of the Ezri Centre for Iran and the Persian Gulf, says that in the past three-and-a-half years, Iranian conduct – like supporting opposition movements and creating militia in a number of countries – has contributed more to instability in the Middle East than any other factor. No wonder then that Israeli officials have repeatedly argued that Tehran was using the deal to arm itself with nuclear weapons, and increase its influence in the region. These same politicians are now hopeful that Trump’s new measures will lead to the downfall of the current Iranian leadership.

The idea is that by applying economic pressure, Tehran will change its policy. The White House insists that the sanctions are not aimed at toppling the Islamic Republic, but are rather aimed at forcing Iran to alter her regional policies dramatically, including support for militant groups. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin summed it up best when he said, “The Iranian beast must be starved and not fed. This is the only way to guarantee the stability of the world.”

Since the United States pulled out of the nuclear deal in May, the Iranian rial has slipped to record lows, and the country has plunged into recession. Protests, driven by economic concerns, have erupted in several major cities against the government. The new sanctions will continue to push Iran to boiling point. Should the US, Israel, and other countries provide the necessary assistance to these protestors, they could very likely succeed in overthrowing the government.

But there is no guarantee that this policy will work, and should it trigger a revolution, who’s to say it won’t herald an even more conservative leadership than the one in power?

In addition, the European Union (EU) is not on board. It considers the nuclear deal crucial to its national interests, although it’s far from clear whether it can save it by propping up those European companies financially which are feeling the pinch from American threats. The new sanctions prohibit any EU entities who work in Iran from doing business with the United States. It’s no surprise then that most companies have – or are in the process of – abandoning the Iranian market over the American one. Also, to date, the EU hasn’t managed to put in place an alternative payment mechanism to sidestep the American-dominated banking system.

Jerusalem is outraged by the EU decision not to support the sanctions. It has criticised the bloc for ignoring documents the Mossad, Israel’s national intelligence agency, stole from Tehran last January, and which Netanyahu insists prove that Iran’s nuclear programme is a military one aimed at developing atomic bombs.

Israeli Public Security and Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan has called the bloc “morally bankrupt”. He and others argue that Europe’s position could lead to even more refugees flooding the continent in the wake of a possible major military clash.

But, Europe aside, Tehran still maintains key support from Russia and Asia, including China, India and South Korea, that could save the country’s economy from total collapse. Certainly, the Iranian leadership is keen to engage with these countries as much as possible, although it could pay a high price for doing so.

In the Iranian psyche, Russia, for example, is not much loved. It has taken territories away from Iran throughout the country’s history, while intervening in Iranian domestic affairs. Depending more on Russia is not something the Iranians are desperate to do; but they will do so in order to survive and outlast the impact of Trump’s sanctions.

For now, though, Israel has received an enormous boost to its security. An increasing number of countries are coming on board, and accepting Jerusalem’s position vis-à-vis Tehran. But it’s not all easy sailing moving forward. Trump has signalled his willingness to meet the Iranian leadership, and Israeli officials are worried he might agree to a face-to-face before Tehran even agrees to dismantle her nuclear facilities. From the Israeli perspective, the battle has been won, but not the war. Tehran has been contained for now.